Title: Lost Before Our Lives Crossed Paths
Pairing: Killua Zoldyck/Gon Freecss
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A/N: Hopefully this is really fluffy, my fluff skills are lacking these days. Everything I touch is angst.
-x-x-
Hand moving across the pad of paper, lines of different weights, and all sorts of shapes as an image was slowly appearing. A scowl graced his face as his eyebrows knitted together, he crumbled the drawing and thrown away with all the others. "Stupid…Stupid… Stupid!" He chucked the sketchbook away from him and roared his anger loud enough that no animals could be seen for miles. "I give up," the boy crumbled into himself, using his knees to support his head as he wanted to cry. "I'm just not good at this."
"Is this yours?"
The boy turned around and met a black haired kid with a hat on and brown eyes, but gave him a sour look when he recognized his book in his hands. "You can have it, I don't need it anymore." He turned away and huffed. He thought he was alone, at least he was alone. He made sure to go as far away from others as possible so he wouldn't have to deal with human interaction.
"Hm…" The other boy opened the sketch pad and held it up vertically, a few drawings falling out, "You're pretty good."
"Hey!" Killua snatched the book away from him, "Don't hold it up like that-,"
"Aha!" He laughed in response and pointed a finger at him, "I knew you still cared!" He grinned triumphantly.
"Well…I," Killua hugged the pad to his chest, but huffed, "Who are you anyway?'
"My name is Gon!" The boy jumped up and down, "What's yours?"
"Killua…" He whispered after a couple of seconds. Even though they just met, he felt that he wanted to know more about him. "My name is Killua."
Gon smiled softly, "Well Killua, I came over to tell you that you need to lower your voice!"
Killua blinked, "Huh?"
"Your yelling scared all the animals away and they're pretty angry."
"They're…angry?" Killua looked around; he couldn't hear even a single noise besides theirs and there weren't any houses either.
"No one really comes this far, so they're only used to the other residents and myself. What brought you out here?"
Killua looked down at his sketchbook, "I sometimes come out here to get away and for inspiration."
"Does that mean you're an artist?" Gon jumped excitedly, "That's so cool!"
Killua blushed a little, "I'm not that good…I can only do sketches right now, but I want to improve."
"Hm," Gon turned around and then lit up when he noticed that the sun was going down, "Want to watch the sunset with me?"
"Huh?"
"I know a great place you can use for inspiration."
Killua didn't know what to say, so he just nodded and the two left his usual spot for an adventure. They walked deeper into the meadow, instead of the lush green grass, hundreds of flowers surrounded them in all sorts of colors and different meanings.
"What are these?" Killua asked as he pointed to a pink flower that resembled a sun flower.
"Aster, they mean patience," he replied with ease.
He scribbled down an automatic drawing, a rough sketch of the scenery before him. "What about those?" He pointed to the opposite side, rows and rows of another pink flower, but this one was even more unique.
"Those are Alstroemeria, they mean friendship."
Killua looked up every couple of seconds to make sure he didn't trip anywhere, "You really know your flowers."
Gon laughed lightly, "Of course, as I grew up this was the only fun thing to do."
He wanted to ask a lot of questions, but didn't feel like he could. After a few more minutes, they were on top of a hill, the flowers continued all the way down, these were wilder and instead of rows of the same flower, they were mixed. They had apparently headed west since the sun was beginning to set behind the tall mountains. "Why…Why haven't I been here before?" His voice was tremulous as he gazed at the beautiful scene before him. The clouds surrounded the sun from all sides, some were pink, and others had a red hue. The fragrance of flowers wafted through the air, stronger as the breeze picked up some of the petals and made his hair whip against his forehead. He couldn't believe his eyes.
Gon smiled, "Not a lot of outsiders know of this place, it's practically impossible for others to find it. Not only that, but in fall all the flowers begin to die."
"I guess it would be nice to come back in the spring then." Killua thought that was odd since they walked at a casual pace, but was too busy trying to capture everything, trying to remember every little detail so he could recreate it once he got home. He sat down on the soft grass and began to sketch, patting the spot beside him so that Gon knew he was welcome to sit too.
While Killua worked, Gon was running around, trying to grab as much flowers as he could to show it to Killua in detail. That was when he got an idea and placed it on top of his head. "Here!"
Killua looked at Gon with surprise in his eyes, the two were now wearing multi-colored flower crowns, "What's this for?"
"It's a gift!" He swayed back and forth, his fingers intertwined, "Do you like it?"
Killua blushed; it's been awhile since someone gave him something, "It's beautiful."
"Ehehehe…" Gon laughed and turned red in response while scratching his cheek. Their sudden silence wasn't uncomfortable, but peaceful. They just stayed like that until the sun had finally disappeared and the moon illuminated their way back.
"Wait!" Before Killua could leave, Gon handed him a pink flower which he thought looked familiar.
"What does this one mean?" He looked around; there weren't any of them around them or on their way to and from the secret place.
"It's a pink carnation, but you can look for the meaning later!" He smiled and hugged Killua, a few seconds longer than a normal hug. As if he never received a hug before, "I hope I can see you again soon!"
Killua returned the hug and waved as he walked away, a lot of confidence in his stride. "You're funny!"Killua smiled, "I'll visit once I'm done with this, alright Gon?"
Gon bit his lip and smiled softly while he waved, "Goodbye Killua!"
Killua kept on turning around after every few feet, wondering if Gon had walked away yet, but he never moved, just a smile on his face as he waved. It took him a while to finally walk far enough for him to be out of sight, but he wanted to go back, a strange feeling creeping up on him. He shook his head and returned home, but not before placing the Carnation in a thin vase.
It took him months to finally finish the painting, which he completed on a large canvas in acrylic paint. He joined the two sketches together, showing the path they followed, rows of flowers leading to a downward hill, with mountains surrounding a valley, the sun bright like his new friend's smile. He couldn't wait to show him.
The meaning of the Carnation slipped his mind, but he kept it as a bookmark. He looked it up right before leaving with the almost finished work. When he looked it up, his eyes moistened and he left in a hurry, not remembering to sign his painting with his signature. He rushed to their place, but since it was now winter, the vivid landscape was now reduced to browns and grays.
A sign post stood in the spot the two last saw each other, he read the small words in his head. "I'm sorry Killua, but I lied. I knew you came here every week, but could never work up the nerve to call you out. I was never meant to befriend you because humans aren't supposed to see us…they can't see us. Goodbye Killua."
"Gon! Come out Gon!" He turned around and began to shout his name, his painting placed against the wooden post, forgotten in the heat of his emotions. He finally met someone he didn't forget being around, he finally met someone he could spend hours with for no reason. And now he was gone. Maybe if he had finished it sooner- no, he wanted it to be perfect. He wanted it to be perfect for the person that made him see the world in color like he used to. Now the glowing scenery was once again black and white before his eyes.
When he finally returned to the post, a lone blue violet sat on top of his painting, an addition below his name. "Watchfullness" was written in childish scribble. "Does this mean you're still here?" He whispered softly, but no voice spoke. Instead, a gust of wind blew through the dead meadow; hundreds of petals were suddenly lifted into the air, the dead flowers renewed into a rainbow of colors. Yes.
Killua took out his sketchbook, once again burning the image into his mind. He bit his lip and picked up his painting, making it face the now dead flowers again, "I finished the painting like I promised," he whispered. "I'll return again with the new one Gon…" He smiled sadly, but the light warmth on top of his head made him understand. "I'll return in the spring." Even when things die, they are reborn again. Because with death, there can be new beginnings.
When he returned, he looked up the legends from the meadow and found out that there's a lone keeper of the meadow that protects the animals from outsiders. And yet Killua was allowed to view the important place. He decided to title the piece "My Secret Place," a lone pink carnation beside his painted signature dedicated to his magical friend.
Every once in a while, he'd sit on top of the hill and sketch the every changing scenery. A gentle breeze would pick up and the flowers would dance in the wind around him before finding a flower crown beside him. "I'm glad to have met you, Gon," he'd often say.
A daffodil would then appear on his sketchbook, the meaning already engraved in his memory.
The sun is always shining when I'm with you.
-x-x-
A/N: Flower meanings constantly change depending on the source, but I liked the meanings of these and I feel like the colors were pretty too. I had a book once about this girl from a foster home that knew all the flower meanings from her "foster" mother, but I don't remember where I left it. Sadly, I didn't bring it with me when I moved. I hope I can find that book again, even though it was really sad.